Cow milk parties by the RSS Muslim wing started in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, and will kick off in West Bengal next week.

The Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), the Muslim wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is going to organise cow milk parties in the month of Ramzan across 25 states, the outfit’s national convenor Mohammad Afzal has told HT.

The MRM was set up in 2002 by former RSS chief K Sudarshan with the objective of reaching out to Muslims.

Such milk parties have already started in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, and will kick off in West Bengal next week. Iftar is the meal with which Muslims break their fast during the month of Ramzan.

“Cow milk is healthier than beef. That is why we will serve cow milk for breaking the fast during iftar. We’re going to organise several hundred iftar parties during the month of Ramadan across 25 states and cow milk will be served in each of them,” Afzal said.

He said that the highest number of iftar parties with cow milk on offer will be organised in Uttar Pradesh, where the number is expected to exceed 100.

The declaration follows a controversial notification that banned the sale of cows for slaughter in animal markets. Several states ruled by opposition parties such as Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura have already announced that they will not abide by the decision. Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has also questioned the timing of the move, coming right before Ramzan.

“In Bihar, cow milk parties during iftar have started. Such parties were held in the districts of Vaishali and Araria on Tuesday, while on Wednesday, such a party was organised at the High Court mazar in Patna,” said Tufail Khan Quadri, the joint secretary of the outfit in Bihar who also heads BJP’s minority morcha in the state.

These milk parties are being organised in each of the 38 districts in Bihar.

About a dozen parties have taken place in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh – all BJP-run states – Afzal said.

In West Bengal, such parties will be held in the Muslim-majority districts of Murshidabad and Malda, apart from Burdwan, Asansol and Kolkata.

“Cow milk parties during iftar will start in West Bengal after the 10th day of Ramzan. We will not be able to organise such events in each of the state’s districts this year but hope to raise awareness against beef consumption and for the protection of cows,” said Izharul Haque, West Bengal in-charge of MRM.

In Kolkata, BJP’s cow protection cell, too, is slated to organise a cow milk party in central Kolkata on June 6, though it would not be during an iftar. Incidentally, the first milk party in Kolkata was held in November 2015, when the Bengal unit of BJP organised it to counter a beef party organised at Esplanade at the heart of the city’s business district. The milk party was held at the same place.